Method of manufacturing metal tiles



March 29, 1932. M, HEYMANN 1,851,834

I METHOD OF MANUFACTURING METAL TILES Filed June 17, 1929 E z Fig.1 I

3\ ilf E M; m 3 m g- Z Q mm v w Patented Mar. 29, 1932 MAX 'HEYMANN, 0FREGENTS PARK, LONDON, ENGLAND METHOD or MANUIACTU3ING- METAL TILES"Application filed June 17, 1923, Serial No.

This invention relates to an improved method of manufacturing metaltiles, cornices, skirtings, cappings and the like for use as wallcoverings, and the object thereof is to produce a tile'or similararticlewhich is cheap to manufacture, light to handle, and adapted to be easilyand securely fixed, and to form a united surface without appreciablegaps through which exudation of cement is likely'to occur. While myinvention is more particularly designed for the production of articlesfor interior use, I do not intend to exclude its application to externaldecoration.

Tiles of glazed earthenware or the like as now used are relativelyexpensive to make and heavy to handle, while they are also liable tobecome broken or damaged in transit or manipulation. Various substituteshave from timeto time been proposed, amongst others, relatively largesheets of zinc having a lithographed pattern representing a number' ofcontiguous tiles or the like, and such sheets are aflixed to the surfaceto be covered by meansofa white lead or similar cement. Newly plasteredor cemented walls are, however, not well adapted to take these sheets,because adhesion is not perfect until the surfaces have thoroughly driedout; moreover, if any acid is present in the cement or plaster, it tendsto set up a chemical action which is injurious to the metal, andrelatively rapid deterioration of the sheets ensues, which can only beremedied by the replacement of the 1 entire sheet.

My invention consists in a process for manufacturing metal tiles whereintriangular portions are first removed from the corners of a fiat metalblank by straight line cuts making equal angles with the sides, nextturning up flanges on the edges of the blank of such depth that theapices of the triangular gaps so formed at the corners are in the planeof the tile face, and then pressing the tile face outwardly to a depthof 1 or 2 millimetres from such apices, so as to form a tile having acupped body portion with closed corners, and edge flanges separated bytriangularly shaped openings which do not extend to the plane of thebody of the tile.

371,688, and in Great Britain July 6, 1928.

In carrying out my invention I press or stamp from suitable sheet metalsuch as zinc, copper, aluminium, steel, or the like, of a relativelythin gauge, blanks of slightly larger dimensions than those of aseparate tile of the kind required, or of one element adaptedto-constitute with other similar elements a skirting, cornice or thelike. I remove the corners from the blanks so formed by a straight lineout making equal angles with the sides, the size of the triangle removedbeing such as to leave free for bending over on each edge of the blank astrip of metal of slightly less width, measured from the external faceof the blank, than the final width of the flanges hereinafterreferredto, by means whereof the tiles are retained in place. Thesesidestrips are next turned up, by appropriate dies, so that they standvertically to the face of the blank, and in order to prevent exudationof the cement or mortar from between the meeting edges of contiguoustiles when fixed inplace, it is desirable thatsuch edges should be asstraight as possible; furthermore, for the samereason, and for the sakeof appearance, it is desirable todispense with radiused corners inplanyiew, such as usually occur in stamped or pressed work, and it isalso advisable to key the tiles together by means of thecement by whichthey are affixed. I obtain these results by subjecting the blank withits vertical'flanges to pressure between appropriate male and femaledies, of the type usually employed for metal drawing or pressing, suchthat its external face or body is cupped? or pressed out by drawing themetal toa distance of about one or two millimetres below the apices ofthe triangular gaps at its corner when the tile is regarded in sideeleva tion (see Figures III and IV) thus forming a'body with closedcorners from the point 4 downwards; by the same or a subsequentoperation, the flanges are turned in slightly so that they inclinetowards one another and stand at an angle of somewhat less than 90degrees, with the body of the blank, so that in cross-section the bodyand the flanges form an enlarged dovetail. In this'mannera tile isproduced having in-turned flanges extend ing' around its wholeperiphery, such flanges having triangular portions removed from thecorners in such manner as to provide openings which do not extend to theplane of the tile body.

The tile so formed, if required to be coated, is now thoroughlycleansed, and if desired treated with a suitable preservative paint orthe like adapted to prevent corrosion, and the external surface is thenprovided, by spraying or in any other convenient manner, with a suitablecoating or coatings of cellulose or other appropriate enamel. If,however, the metal used for forming the blank is copper, aluminium, or asimilar decorative metal which is not easily corrodible in ordinarycircumstances, these latter operations may, if desired, be omitted.

The tiles produced in the above manner are adapted to be aflixed and toremain firmly attached to walls and other surfaces by embedding theirflanges in cement, plaster, or the like, and by reason of theirformation they will form a practically continuous decorative surface,without exudation of cement.

In order that my invention may bemore readily comprehended, I haveappended drawings hereto in which Figure I represents in plan view ablank for a square tile after the corners have been removed; Figure IIshows such blank in plan view with the flanges pressed up vertically tothe face or body, of which Figure III is an elevation on a larger scale;Figure IV is a view in elevation of the blank after cupping; Figure V isan elevation of the cupped blank with the flanges turned inwards, andFigure VI is a view in plan from behind of four tiles as they wouldappear when assembled. Like numerals refer to like parts in all thefigures.

Referring to Figure I, the metal blank 1 has its corners removed bystraight line cuts making equal angles with the sides, as indicated at2; the flanges 3 are then turned up vertical to the body 1 of the blank,along lines (see the dotted lines in Fig. I), parallel with the sides,which meet at right angles approxi mately in the centres of the lines 2formed by the removal of the corners. As shown in Figure III the apices4 of the triangles formed at the corners are in the plane of the body 1,and it will be noted that such corners are as sharp as possible and notradiused. The blank, as shown in Figure III, is next subjected topressure between suitable dies in such manner as that the external faceof the body 1 is cupped to the extent of 1 or 2 millimetres andtherefore stands away to that extent from the apices at of the cornertriangles, as indicated in Figure IV, and by the same or a subsequentoperation the flanges 3 are bent inwards towards each other so that theflanges on opposite sides form to gether with the body 1 an enlargeddovetail in cross-section. If desired, however, not all the flanges needbe so inclined.

The blank so formed is next treated as hereinbefore indicated and thefinished product is adapted after drying and polishing (if desired) tobe used commercially.

Figure VI is a plan view from the rear of four tiles as they appear whenassembled.

The angle 5 is made at the junction of the flanges of two contiguoustiles forms a triangular passage, and when four tiles are laid as shownin the figure the point 6 at which they meet forms a passage leadingfrom any one to any other. If therefore, there is an excess of cement orthe like on the surface which any one tile covers, such excess can, ifsuitable pressure he applied to the face of the tiles while the cementis still sulficiently plastic, be caused to flow through the passages soformed, and a uniform and level surface can thus be assured. 7

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is 1. Process for the production of metal tiles consistingin the removalfrom the corners of a flat blank of appropriate metal, oftriangular portions by straight line cuts making equal angles with thesides, turning up flanges on the edges of the blank of such depth thatthe apices of the triangular gaps so formed at the corners lie in theplane of the face, and pressing the face outwardly to a depth of 1 or 2millimeters from such apices.

2. Process for the production of metal tiles consisting in theoperations specified in claim 1 and the additional operation of turningin some or all of the flanges.

MAX HEYMANN.

